Even with three different opponents this weekend, the UCLA
baseball team’s fortunes remained the same, as the Bruins
dropped all three games of the Kia Baseball Bash in Fullerton.
All around, it was a weekend UCLA (7-9) would like to forget. It
opened Friday with a 7-2 loss to Oklahoma, followed Saturday by a
7-3 loss to Nevada, and culminated with a 14-4 loss to No. 4 Cal
State Fullerton.
“It was a pretty frustrating weekend,” coach John
Savage said.
“Everyone on our team knows we’re a lot better than
we showed,” sophomore outfielder Will Penniall said.
“It’s just one weekend.”
The Bruins were within striking distance in both Friday and
Saturday’s games until the final innings. UCLA actually
started the tournament strong Friday, posting two runs in the
bottom of the first on a run-scoring balk and freshman right
fielder Mike Metzger’s RBI single. Sophomore starter Hector
Ambriz held the Sooners scoreless until they scored a lone run in
the fifth. The Bruins’ ace gave up just one hit on the day,
but allowed four walks.
Ambriz handed the ball over to the bullpen in the sixth, which
turned out to be the Bruins’ downfall. The four relievers
that followed him allowed six runs, and UCLA had no better luck at
the plate, leaving runners on base in each of the first six
innings.
Saturday, UCLA again got on the board first. Sophomore center
fielder Jarrad Page, who led the Bruins with three hits on the day,
singled in designated hitter Ambriz in the second inning, but they
would not score again until the eighth.
Senior Bryan Beck tamed the Wolf Pack for three innings before
they got to him for three runs over the fourth and fifth and then
put the game away in the eighth with four runs off of junior
reliever Adam Simon.
Sunday, the Bruins struck first with a run in the top of the
first inning, but then the Titans struck back much harder, putting
up six runs in the first and three in the second, all off of
sophomore starter Brant Rustich.
Of course, it wasn’t all the pitchers’ faults. UCLA
committed four errors, which led to four unearned runs.
“We need to take care of the baseball better,”
Savage said. “We also need to get pitching on consistent
basis. We’ll shore those things up. It’s just going to
take a little time.”
Among the few Bruin bright spots were Penniall, who had three
hits and two RBI, and junior outfielder Josh Roenicke, who also had
a multi-hit game with two.
Luckily for UCLA, it has to wait only a short while before
having a chance to redeem itself. The first chance to put the
memory of this past weekend behind them is Tuesday at Cal State
Northridge.